


The Boy Who Was By Himself

by redvelvetroses



Series: Enchanted Children [3]
Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: I Don't Even Know, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-12
Updated: 2015-03-12
Packaged: 2018-03-17 12:29:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3529469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redvelvetroses/pseuds/redvelvetroses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Past, The Present.<br/>What Will You Choose For Your Future?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Boy Who Was By Himself

**Author's Note:**

> The third part of Enchanted Children.  
> Hope you like it.

It’s almost midnight, for most people it’s times for unwind and loss in a sweet dream, that’s why the employees in white uniform were not alerted when he and his little companion passed. He walked in that empty corridor in light step, the dim light didn’t perturb him at all as he knew where he’s heading, his steps were definite toward a certain room. He turned his head to the boy beside him, whose hand held securely inside his palm, whose strides followed his lead without doubt until they stop in front of a wooden door. Then the boy turned at him as well, with a perplexed face –as if asking, who was inside the room, what were they going to do inside– which quickly erased with one smile from him, the boy’s doubt vanished and lips also bloomed a smile. Before he mesmerized and lost in the enticing smile –just like always– he proceeded to open the door, stepped inside and hauled the boy along.

Under the moonlight that illuminated faintly through the glass window, he took a look at a figure in the bed, wrapped in a thick blanket, silent and motionless in its deep sleep. With half of its face gleamed silvery reflecting the moonlight and the other half hid under the shadow, the figure looked so pale but peaceful, despite of the various rubber tubes that pierce its hand and chest, connected to a machine that beeped every now and then.

He heard a soft gasp and felt his companion’s body stiffened in shock before slipped off from his grip and dashed toward the bed, shook the figure gently and whispered a name.

“Howonnie…”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The glow overcast, it’s so subtle he almost didn’t realize it at first. Their skin still glowed in pale pearl under the moon, it still the brightest among the darkness of the forest, but it lessen and he didn’t like it. He knew where the problem lays, their source. He eyed a kid that sat beside him, who rested a while for catching his breath after playing with the other. The boy’s eyes nailed at the other children who still engrossed in their game, but just with one glance he knew that the boy’s mind was not there, immersed in another thing.

The boy had small eyes, chubby cheek that sometimes tinted in rose color, small lips colored in red, and was the prettiest, fascinating him. The boy was the only one that didn’t radiate light, but the reason why the other kept coruscate. He had to maintain it.

He flicked his eyes towards the nearest group of kids, secretly gave a code to them, who immediately complied. Two kids giggled and came up at his direction, more precisely at the small boy beside him. The two dragged the boy to run away from a bigger boy that chased them in a romp, soon joyous laughter resounded in between the trees.

From then he kept an eye on that boy –not that he didn’t since their first meeting– making sure the boy’s mind didn’t tainted with unimportant thought, making sure the other kids kept the boredom away from the boy as they always change their game. From time to time they would let the boy to rest for a while, before engaged him in their play again, for eternity.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Howonnie…”

His companion whispered again, louder this time, and also shook the figure harder. He walked deeper to the room and stood beside the boy to place a hand on his shoulder, stopping the boy before he did a harsher motion toward the sleeping figure. He swept his palm above the figure face, under the boy’s curios gaze, and in no time the figure opened his eyes groggily.

The boy grinned and hugged the newly awakened figure on his waist, “Howonnie.”

The figure in bed, Hoya, blinked his eyes a few times, tried to deprive his haziness and startled at the small figure that hugged him tightly. When he finally opened his mouth, he sounded so unsure and confused. “G-gyu-hyung.”

The boy lifted his face, lips stretched in a bright smile that pushed his chubby cheek up and made his eyes arched into nice crescent. “Gyu-hyung,” Hoya choked out, discomfiture clearly defined in his face.

“Yes, he’s your Gyu-hyung,” he decided to chime in, after kept silent all this time.

Hoya turned his head, finally recognized the other presence in the room. Hoya’s eyes widened in bewilderment when saw him, “Woohyun.”

Woohyun nodded and smiled reassuringly at Hoya, who seemed unaffected by it.

“Explain.” Hoya demanded at him, before switched his gaze toward a six-years-old boy who still embraced him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

For eternity was what he hoped, but it wrecked as he heard the boy mumble.

“I want to go home.”

The boy muttered the words softer than the winds rustle, but it made all the kids now stop playing and had their attention fully on him and all eyes stared at him. All the laughter and all the giggle had died, the sudden silence felt so weird and awkward.

“I want to go home,” the boy stated once again, then gasped a little, seemed shocked that his voice rang louder than he meant it to be in that quiet forest.

He arose from his seat under a tree, stepped forward until he came face to face with the boy and chimed, “why?” He tilted his head a little and from the corner of his eyes he saw some of the kids glowed in dull ray, while the other lost their light completely, swallowed by the darkness.

“B-because it will be morning soon. I had to get home before Mom and Dad return, they will angry if they know that I leave the house,” the boy rolled the end of his pajama shirt in nervous, small eyes glued to the soil.

He snorted a short laughter, that boy just didn’t know how many rise of the sun that he already missed. It might be seemed that a night hadn’t passed yet, the sun hadn’t raise yet and they still in their children body, but in reality they had been played and stayed there for years. “No, Sunggyu. The morning never come in here, we had plenty of time to play.”

He was not surprised when the boy startled, eyes widened a bit. Maybe because his name mentioned –it’s the first time, they never exchanged name before and never had an actual talk before, just giggle and laugh– or maybe because of the everlasting-night fact.

“And your parents won’t return to the house.” He continued his attempt to coax Sunggyu, forgetting his urge to go home. “Come on, Sunggyu, don’t you want to play? We’re the only playmates you have now.” He extended and offered his hand, just like how he usually did to Sunggyu.

Sunggyu shook his head, his reply sounded timid, “I want to play. B-but with Howonnie.”

A pang hit his heart, as he saw Sunggyu bit his lower lip, head bowed low, eyes closed tightly, clearly resisted the urge to cry. He wanted to keep Sunggyu forever by his side, he professed that he felt for him, mesmerized and enchanted by his beauty. But he wanted Sunggyu to always beam in the happy smile that he liked, not heavy-hearted like this. So, was it the thought that haunted Sunggyu all this time?

“Go, then.”

The second the words reverbed, Sunggyu dashed away, not turned his head at all as if there’s no doubt in his heart, no fear for the darkness of the forest. As Sunggyu’s small figure vanished in between the trees, he stood in the night, alone, and wondered, ‘who is this Howonnie that he mentioned?’

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Curiosity, that’s what make me followed him here.” Woohyun gently patted the main subject’s head of his story that fall asleep in Hoya’s lap, in the bed. Then he bended over to whisper lowly in Hoya’s ear, “I want to know this Howonnie, who steal my Sunggyu away.”

“But it turned out that you are just his brother.” Woohyun backed away and chuckled in amused as he saw Hoya’s ear shaded in red. “Sunggyu was already forgot about you for years, and I didn’t know why suddenly he remembered you. He might be thought that his brother must be felt lonely, because he’s the only one who could play with him. Poor Sunggyu, must be really confused when he found that his baby brother already this big.” This time Woohyun patted Hoya’s head, who swatted the hand immediately.

“What are you doing at him?” Hoya swallowed the lump in his throat and changed his question as Woohyun seemed didn’t quiet understand it. “Why is he in a child form?”

Woohyun shrugged his shoulder lightly, gazed at the six-years-old looking boy. “Why not? His body changed as he left the forest, but he’s still six in mind. Furthermore this is how I remembered him, tiny, delicate and pretty. I like him the best in this form, though I find that he’s still pretty in his adult state. Isn’t this form was also what imprinted in your memory?” Woohyun admitted that he had to praised Hoya for his calmness –anyone else might be already bewildered by that weird and unreal story.

“What do you want from us now?” Hoya glared at Woohyun, hand protectively circling around Sunggyu’s small body.

“From us?” Woohyun chuckled again. “But he already decided, Hoya. He will come with me, again. It’s you who had to decide now.”

“What? No! Why had he decided to go with you again? I just met him and you don’t have the right to separate us again. He already left you, why had you come back?” Hoya shouted in disbelieved, but his loud voice didn’t disturb Sunggyu from his sleep.

Woohyun smiled before answered, “didn’t I tell you, I was curious with his Howonnie.” Woohyun smirked, as he didn’t continue the truth. It’s not just Sunggyu who felt lonely without his Howonnie, not only Hoya who felt lonely without his brother, but Woohyun also felt lonely without Sunggyu who was the light of his world.

Woohyun already knew what would be Hoya’s decision as he sure that he had Hoya in his palm. He acted nice and showed his amiability toward Hoya this passed few days, ensnared Hoya to feel that he’s not alone, that he had Woohyun in his side. The same trick that he did toward the little Sunggyu years ago. Woohyun decided to trick Hoya again by not telling that Sunggyu agreed to come with him again if only Hoya tagged along. Sunggyu didn’t want to leave his brother again, but Woohyun didn’t mind at all since he found that the prettiness was run along the blood, Hoya was just as pretty as his brother in Woohyun’s eyes. He also fascinated by Hoya and didn’t like it when Hoya had another person beside him –just like when he irritated at the time he realized that Sunggyu had another person in his mind, before he knew that the other person was just his brother.

Woohyun walked away from the bed toward the window, and Hoya widened his eyes in astonishment as Woohyun’s skin glowed in pale pearl under the moonlight, body shrunk slowly until he’s just a little bit bigger than the kid Sunggyu in his embrace.

The now kid-Woohyun extended his small hand toward Hoya and exhorted him to say his final word. “Come on, you decided, Howonnie. Come and play with us, or stay by your own?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Dongwoo walked through the busy corridor –some nurses ran passed him, shouted at each other and looked angry or panicked. Dongwoo didn’t pay any attention at first, but as he got nearer to a certain room, he got a feeling that the sources of the jittery nurses were from there. Dongwoo slipped inside the room through the widely opened door without anyone know –because of the hectic situation. A number of nurses and doctors were there –looked confused as well– but the bed was empty. Dongwoo glanced around the room until he found a familiar female sat crooked on a chair in the corner, he dashed toward her.

“Mrs. Lee, do you remember me? It’s me, Dongwoo.” He crouched in front of Hoya’s mother. He saw her eyes looked red and teary, as he turned her face toward him. “What’s happened Mrs. Lee? And, where’s Hoya?”

Dongwoo was so shocked when Hoya’s mother suddenly hugged him and cried on his shoulder. “He’s gone, my kids are gone. I went home last night to fetch Sunggyu, but that kid was not in the house. I immediately reported his missing to the police.” Hoya’s mother hiccupped before continue her story. “Then when I go to the hospital this morning, Hoya also missing, though nobody saw him leave.”

Dongwoo flabbergasted with the story, he only could pat Hoya’s mother’s back absentmindedly. He remembered Hoya’s panicked shout last afternoon, was it really Woohyun’s deed? But, was this Woohyun even real?

Dongwoo gritted his teeth, lamented that he didn’t believe at Hoya before, as the mother sobbed in his embrace. “What should I do now? My kids are gone now…”

 

 

**_End_**


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